Australia: Albanese demands apology as senator’s anti-Indian remark sparks outrage and party rift

Dubai: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on opposition senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to apologise for remarks suggesting unsustainable numbers of Indians were migrating to Australia, a claim that has sparked outrage within the country’s Indian community and caused turmoil inside the Liberal Party.

Speaking to ABC Radio National, Albanese said Price’s comments were “not true” and had caused deep hurt. “She should apologise for the hurt that has been caused, and her own colleagues are saying that. But even more importantly, leaders in the community are asking for that as well,” he said.

Price’s controversial comments

Price, who represents the Northern Territory for the centre-right Liberal Party, told a radio programme last week that large numbers of Indians had been allowed to migrate to Australia and that the community’s size was reflected in voting patterns supportive of Albanese’s Labor Party.

“There is a concern with the Indian community — and only because there’s been large numbers. And we can see that reflected in the way that the community votes for Labor at the same time,” she said.

Highlights

·  Albanese demands apology: PM says Jacinta Price’s remarks about Indian migrants were “not true” and hurtful.

· Controversial claim: Price suggested large numbers of Indians migrated to vote for Labor.

· Community backlash: Australian-Indians angered; calls for apology grow louder.

·  Liberal Party split: Shadow AG apologises on Price’s behalf, while Sussan Ley dodges questions.

·  State response: NSW government meets Indian groups, vows to tackle anti-Indian rhetoric.

·   India responds: New Delhi engages Canberra over rising anti-Indian sentiment.

Her remarks followed nationwide anti-immigrant protests that partly blamed Indian migrants for cost-of-living pressures.

According to Reuters, government statistics show 845,800 Indian-born people were living in Australia in 2023, more than double a decade earlier, with hundreds of thousands more born locally who claim Indian ancestry.

Community and political backlash

The comments triggered anger among Indian Australians and prompted condemnation from within the Liberal Party. Shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser issued an apology on social media on behalf of his colleague: “My colleague Jacinta Price said something this week that I want to apologise unreservedly for. As my leader Sussan Ley said, she was wrong to say it, and she has walked back those remarks and I am pleased that she has.”

But Liberal deputy leader Sussan Ley has so far resisted directly pressing Price to apologise, according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Asked repeatedly by journalists whether she would demand one, Ley declined to answer, saying: “I know that the senator is listening to the Indian community and hearing their words directly in many instances, and I think that’s important.”

Pressure on the party has grown, with senior colleagues including Alex Hawke and Barnaby Joyce urging Price to apologise. Instead, Price told Sky News she regretted not being “clearer” in her comments but stopped short of saying sorry. She also accused Hawke of intimidating her staff during a private call, a claim he denied.

NSW meeting amid rising tensions

The backlash has also spilled into state politics. The New South Wales government convened a meeting with community groups on Tuesday to address what it described as a rise in anti-Indian sentiment.

“Today we stand together with the Australian-Indian community to say unambiguously that the sort of racist rhetoric and divisive false claims we have seen over the last couple of weeks have no place in our state or country,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said.

India’s foreign ministry said last week it was in talks with Canberra over the rise in anti-Indian rhetoric following the protests.